Princess of the Amazons
by daughter of kings
Summary: Taurilien, the princess of the Amazons from Mirkwood has to leave her home to follow her destiny. Chp 2: Leavings and Arrivals
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda, yadda. Everyone knows it anyway, so why waste space with saying that it all belongs to Tolkein, PJ and NLC?

Author's Notes: I know that Amazons don´t exist in ME, but after watching too much Xena with my best friend, the idea of the story didn´t leave my mind, and I decided to write it. I am really really trying not to make this a Mary Sue, so please tell me if that happens! 

Princess of the Amazons

The door to the room opened and Taurilien entered the throne room of her mother, Miraloona, queen of the Amazons of Mirkwood. The dark-golden streaks of her waist long blonde hair glittered in the morning sun that fell through the windows and her sparkling blue eyes focused on her mother. She had been outside in the forest, practising archery since the early hours of daylight, and wondered what her mother would want of her on this morning. 

"What is it you want from me, Mother?" she inquired curiously.

"I have to tell you something, my dear daughter. 

Long have I pondered this decision, but now I have to tell you, because of the recent happenings. My foresight has told me about the way of your destiny. 

The One Ring has been found. You know what this means. Sauron may regain his strength and cover all the lands in a second darkness, if it is not destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom.

You have the power to prevent this. It is your fate to stop the Dark Lord. You shall depart for Rivendell tomorrow at dawn to attend the Council of Elrond that will decide the future of Middle-earth. 

The time has come that our people have to reveal themselves; we have to step out of the shadows of the forest and do our part. 

Without you, Taurilien, the Quest that will take place is doomed to fail, and Middle-earth will be enslaved as it was during the first reign of the Dark Lord, until Isildur, the son of the king took up his father's sword and cut the Ring from Sauron's hand in the Battle of the  Last Alliance. Men and Elves fought and died together, and since you are of both those races, the fate of this world now rests in your very own hands."

"I understand, and if that is truly my destiny, I know what decision to make. Gladly will I depart and try to save our world, but know that I only do this for the people of the Amazons, for never have I known any other of the free kindreds of Middle-earth."

"Do this for whatever reason you want as long as you do it. It is important for the future of our people, because we, too, will be destroyed, should Sauron regain his power. 

Everything will be ready for your journey tomorrow morning, go now and bid your friends farewell, for you will not see them for a long time, if ever again. I can not decipher your future to the end of the quest, and it may very well happen that you will pass through great dangers, and never return."

Taurilien turned around and left the room, still shocked by what her mother had told her, though she had showed no sign of her confusion to the Queen. She did not fear the dangers that might be awaiting her, but knowing that the fate of the world lay in her hands made her tremble with nervousness for she had never liked to take up such responsibilities.

Inside the room, her mother sighed and hoped that the journey of her daughter would eventually lead her back her home, after the darkness had been defeated forever. 

Meanwhile Taurilien took a secret path into the forest to a hidden clearing near the River. She sat on a rock and began singing a mournful and enchanting song, for the thought to be parted from her beloved for so long filled her with grief. 
    
    "How do I, 
    
    Get through a night without you 
    
    If I had to live without you, 
    
    What kind of life would that be
    
    Oh, I 
    
    I need you in my arms, need you to hold, 
    
    You're my world, my heart, my soul, 
    
    If you ever leave, 
    
    baby you would take away everything good in my life, 
    
    and tell me now 
    
    How do I live without you 
    
    I want to know, 
    
    How do I breathe without you 
    
    If you ever go, 
    
    How do I ever, ever survive 
    
    How do I, how do I, oh how do I live
    
    Without you, 
    
    There'd be no sun in my sky, 
    
    There would be no love in my life, 
    
    There'd be no world left for me. 
    
    And I, 
    
    Baby I don't know what I would do, 
    
    I'd be lost if I lost you, 
    
    If you ever leave, 
    
    Baby you would take away everything real in my life, 
    
    And tell me now, 
    
    How do I live without you 
    
    I want to know, 
    
    How do I breathe without you 
    
    If you ever go, 
    
    How do I ever, ever survive 
    
    How do I, how do I, oh how do I live 
    
    Please tell me baby, 
    
    How do I go on
    
    If you ever leave, 
    
    Baby you would take away everything, 
    
    I need you with me, 
    
    Baby don't you know that you're everything, 
    
    Good in my life 
    
    And tell me now, 
    
    How do I live without you, 
    
    I want to know, 
    
    How do I breathe without you 
    
    If you ever go, 
    
    How do I ever, ever survive
    
    How do I, how do I, oh how do I live
    
    How do I live without you 
    
    How do I live without you baby
    
    How do i live"

Suddenly strong arms circled her slender body lovingly, and a tender voice whispered into her ear.

"What sorrow is it that shadows your heart, Taurilien, my love?" 

Taurilien leaned back and closed her eyes, enjoying the embrace of her beloved for a  while, before she answered his question.

"My mother is sending me on a dangerous quest and I fear you will forget me when I'm away. There are many who try to win your heart. Even now that I am still here they try. You are strong and wise, and yet you are but a man who may be seduced by the charms of the other maidens. You know well what powers my sisters and I possess, not the least of them is to make a man give into temptation of both body and mind." 

"I know, and that is why my decision is easily made. I will accompany you on your journey. Do you not remember what we vowed? We would never part." 

Taurilien sighed and shook her head.

"This is not your fate but mine. I have to walk this path alone, you can not help me. If something happened to you, I might never forgive myself, for it would have been my fault alone that put you into danger. Losing you would break my heart, and then life and the quest would lose all meaning to me. Promise me that you will wait for me, and hope will help me through everything that might await me on my journey and bring me safely back to you."

He looked deep into her blue eyes and saw that those words had been spoken from her heart. And though it pained him to let Taurilien go, he knew deep in his heart that it was for the best.  And silently he vowed to never betray her and wait for her return even if it might take years.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Taurilien woke up long before the first light of the sun appeared on the eastern horizon. She got dressed and slipped out of her house to take a last look at her beloved homeland, before she had to leave.

When she finally got on her horse and left for her long journey, her thoughts were with her beloved and her mother as well as with her friends. 

She turned around one last time and waved goodbye, before disappearing on the small path between the trees.

Her way led her North towards the Old Forest Road, where she would turn west to cross the River Anduin and then to the Misty Mountains. Her mother had explained this way to her on the evening before, for she had never journeyed alone, or left the safe kingdom of the Amazons. 

But before she had even reached the Old Forest Road, she had to put up a camp for the night. After kindling a fire with some dry wood, she took her bow and sat down with the back to a tree to rest. She decided not to sleep, since those parts of the wood were no longer guarded by her people, but she was too tired to ride on. 

The hours of the night stretched endlessly, and eventually Taurilien saw the fire burn down. Her eyes closed several times, but the sounds of the forest, that were no longer comforting, but strange, now that she was alone, woke her up every time again.  But eventually weariness overwhelmed her and she fell asleep. 

Suddenly Taurilien woke up, when something hairy touched her face. She opened her eyes and looked at a huge spider, sitting right in front of her, the long hairy legs waving menacingly. Her bow had fallen out of her hands, while she had been sleeping and was now out of reach. And besides it was not of any use right now anyway.

She tried to reach for the knife she carried on her belt, but found that she could not use her hands. They were tied to her side with sticky threads of cobweb, and she could not move, but only watch as another spider crept down from a tree to her right, snapping its nippers. She struggled helplessly for a moment, until something stung her arm and she fell unconscious at last. 

Her dreams were dark and troubled, but in the East a pale light lingered, and when she finally awoke, she looked into the eyes of her beloved.

"What happened? What are you doing here?" she asked confused when she remembered the spiders.

"I felt that you were in danger, and came searching for you. I am losing you already, but only to absence. I will not let it be death. Taurilien, I love you, let me say this once again."

Weakly and tired she reached up and touched his cheek, caressing it softly. 

"I know," she murmured and kissed him tenderly. 

"And I love you. You saved my life and once again showed me how much you love me. It breaks my heart to leave you, but I no longer fear to lose you, for who could break such a strong bond as the one that exists between the two of us? Do not worry, my love. I will come back to you."

He helped her get ready and with a last kiss said goodbye, watching her disappear behind the thick trees.

The rest of her journey passed uneventfully and she finally reached Rivendell, home of Lord Elrond, where the council would take place.

The Elves looked at her strangely as she rode through the gate into the courtyard.

She got off her horse and turned to a dark-haired Elf standing nearby.

"I am Taurilien, princess of the Amazones of Mirkwood, daughter of Queen Miraloona. I have been sent here to attend the Council that is about to take place. Would you show me a chamber to stay in, for I am weary and wish to refresh myself."

The elf looked at her and raised an eyebrow questioningly, but then he nodded and bowed. 

"Of course, your highness. Please follow me for now. I will tell Lord Elrond of your arrival."

He lead her into the a great hall and gestured her to sit down, before he disappeared into one of the many corridors.

He soon came back, followed by a tall elf with dark hair. He wore a circlet of silver upon his brow and was clad in a crimson robe. 

"Welcome to Rivendell, Princess Taurilien. I hope you will tell me more about the Amazons of Mirkwood, for nobody here has ever heard about them, not even I who have studied the lore of Middle-earth for a long time. But I see that you are weary and need some time to rest, so we will talk about this later."


End file.
